Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst

Gillian Armstrong’s acclaimed film looks at the life of Florence Broadhurst, brilliant designer, a successful business woman and a larger-than-life enigma.

Born in outback Australia in 1899, Florence was an expert at re-inventing herself. She was a singer and dancer in 1920s Shanghai, and later ran a fashion boutique in London’s Mayfair. Returning to Sydney, she posed as an upper-class British socialite and wowed the social and charity circuits. But it was in her final incarnation that she truly made her mark – as a designer of bold, exotic wallpapers that are still in demand today.

Florence was murdered in Sydney in 1977 and the killer has never been identified.